John Louis "Sonny" Burns, Jr., age 82, of Columbus, MS, passed away May 17, 2012, at his residence. Funeral services will be Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 3:00 PM at Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Gene Gillis officiating. The interment will immediately follow at Mt. Vernon Cemetery. Visitation will be Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 1:00 - 3:00 PM at Memorial Funeral Home. Mr. Burns was born August 25, 1929, in Columbus, MS, to the late John Lewis and Lillian Oglesby Burns, Sr. He was a graduate of New Hope High School and was a veteran of Korea serving in the United States Army. Mr. Burns also served 16 years in the MS Army National Guard and was a member of the VFW. He worked for many years as an electrician and later retired from the Mississippi Forestry Commission; he then worked a number of years at the Columbus Fairgrounds. Mr. Burns attended Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and had a love for trains, animals, and whistling. In additon to his parents, he was preceded in death by a son, Jeffrey Burns, sisters, Ruby Williams and Peggy Bell, and brother, Ben Mithchell. Mr. Burns is survived by his wife, Bettye Cole Burns of Columbus, MS. Pallbearers will be Scott Cochran, Jason Cole, Tony Smith, Kenneth Burns, Christopher Cole, and Brian Smith. Honorary pallbearers will be breakfast and coffee club friends, Roger Williams, Leon Bell, and Tom Younger. Memorials may be made to the Baptist Memorial Hospital Hospice Program, 2520 5th St. North, Columbus, MS, 39705 or the Columbus Lowndes Humane Society, P.O. Box 85, Columbus, MS, 39703.
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